Kidnapping, rape charges held against WCU student

WEST GOSHEN — A 24-year-old West Chester University student accused of raping and kidnapping his wife appeared in district court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.

Lirim “Lenny” Rufati appeared before Magisterial District Judge William D. Kraut on charges of rape, kidnapping, sexual assault and related offenses following an alleged abduction on Jan. 3 and claims of ongoing sexual abuse of his wife.

According to police, Rufati and his father attempted to force his wife to board a flight at JFK Airport in New York. Investigators said Rufati wanted to send his 23-year-old wife back to Macedonia against her will following a dispute at their home the day before. He is also accused of ongoing sexual abuse, including five rapes, over the last year, according to court documents.

Following several hours of testimony from Rufati’s wife, Judge Kraut ruled all charges be held for trial, including five counts of sexual assault and five counts of unlawful restraint that were added at the start of Tuesday’s hearing.

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Through an interpreter, Rufati’s wife detailed what she described as a life of fear and abuse. She said the pair married in April 2011 in an arranged marriage in Macedonia. About 10 months later, the couple immigrated to the United States and settled in West Goshen as Rufati attended West Chester University.

The alleged victim testified that on Jan. 2 a West Goshen police officer took her to a nearby hotel after responding to a dispute at the couple’s home in the 500 block of Rosedale Avenue. The following morning, she testified, Rufati called her on her cell phone and asked if they could talk.

Once Rufati arrived, she testified, he took her back to the parking lot outside their apartment and met with his father. The pair then drove the alleged victim to JFK Airport against her will, according to a criminal complaint filed by investigators.

“He insisted, he was convinced that I had to go back to Macedonia,” the alleged victim testified, adding that she did not try to get away from her husband because she was afraid. “They were upset with me and might do something to me, I’m not sure.”

Once she reached the airport, the alleged victim said she was able to send a text message to a friend alerting her that she was about to board a plane against her will. The victim was later discovered by a Port Authority police officer as she was traveling through customs, police said. After she was approached by police, she told them that she did not want to leave the country and was being forced to board a plane to Macedonia “as punishment,” police said.

During a subsequent interview with police the victim described numerous physical and sexual assaults she said she suffered at Rufati’s hands over the past year at their home.

Rufati remained free on bail following Tuesday’s hearing and his case will now head to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas for trial.